The Biennial VA NCRAR Scientific Conference Series - Project Summary/Abstract
The NCRAR will hold its next three Biennial Conferences starting with “Vestibular Disorders: From Cause to
Cure” in fall 2021. Subsequent conference topics are tentatively titled “Post-Pandemic Innovations in
Connected Audiology” and “Multi-Sensory Approaches to Auditory Rehabilitation”, to be refined based on
developments in the field and participant feedback from the previous conference. These three-day intensive
conferences will bring together basic and translational scientists, clinicians, patients, and health policymakers
to promote the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients with hearing and balance disorders. We
hypothesize that clinical outcomes will be improved if they incorporate a collaborative, interprofessional clinical
approach shaped by both the pathophysiology and the perspective of the patient. Consistent with the NIDCD's
2017-2021 Strategic Plan, these conferences aim to meet the critical need for multidisciplinary approaches to
diagnose and treat auditory and vestibular deficits appropriately within a patient-centered care model.
The objectives of the 2021 conference are to enhance knowledge of the mechanisms, diagnosis, and
clinical management of vestibular dysfunction. Specific topics include cellular regeneration, aging, head
trauma, psychophysical testing, artificial-intelligence guided diagnosis, virtual reality-based rehabilitation, and
vestibular implantation. Panel discussions with patients and experts and curated matching of mentors with
students provide valuable communication and networking opportunities. A novel aspect of the conference
series is the inclusion of stakeholders, such as patients and policymakers, within the clinical teaching sessions.
An innovative aspect is to optimize the relevance of the case-study focused problem-based learning sessions
by polling attendees regarding their challenges in clinical research and patient care. A closing discussion with
the presenters and audience will recap recommendations for future research and developments in clinical care.
The conference will be limited to 200 attendees to create an intimate environment enhancing open
communication. Ten scholarships provided to students and 5 to practicing clinicians will attract participants
from outside the scientific community, with at least 8 scholarships awarded to applicants who are women, part
of a racial/ethnic minority group, or have a disability. The conference will be publicized through social media,
email and other professional meetings. Announcements will be posted on the NCRAR website, professional
organization websites, and published in specialty journals. Conference content will be disseminated to non-
attendees via a special issue of the American Journal of Audiology, and the conference presentations will be
available at a reduced price on the NCRAR website (with presenter permissions).
